"For I have received of the Lord that which also I deliver unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come" (I Corinthians 11:23-26).
The monument we refer to is the Lord's Supper (v. 20). Many unbelievers have scoffed at it. Some religious people have perverted it while others have neglected it. Christians frequently abuse it. Yet, it continues to be the greatest monument in the world.
There are many monuments throughout the world such as the Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson in Washington D.C. In order to see some of these monuments, we must travel many miles. but the Lord's Supper is different; it is universal. Each first day of the week, Christians around the world assemble "to break bread" (Acts 20:7).
Jesus told the woman at the well that "the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipper shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth..." (John 4:21, 23). "The hour" was looking ahead to the Christian age. Since God's word is truth (John 17:17), to worship in spirit and in truth is to worship as the word directs us.
The Lord's Supper is costly. It commemorates the death of our Lord for all mankind.
The Lord's Supper is the most enduring of all monuments. It will endure until the Lord comes. Paul said "as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come" (I Cor. 11:26).
The Lord's Supper is life giving. "For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep" (dead) (I Cor. 11:29-30). If we partake the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner, we become weak, sickly and even die spiritually.
There is no way we can abandon this monument, failing to gather together on the first day of the week, failing to commemorate our Lord's death on the cross and still remain faithful and maintain that saved relationship with the Lord. We must continue "steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers" (Acts 2:42).
"If any man speak let him speak as the oracles of God" (I Peter 4:11).
Don H. Noblin
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